1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of archery. In particular, embodiments relate to bow sight devices providing automatic distance compensation.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, archery, the art or sport of shooting with an archery bow and arrow at a target, and the related sport of bow hunting have seen a continued increase in popularity. As such, the demand for archery and bow hunting equipment has also increased. In response to the increase in demand, the archery industry has become more technologically advanced. Modern compound archery bows propel arrows at speeds of over 300 feet per second. Still, the effect of gravity on the discharged arrow remains constant. It is well known that the slower the speed of a projectile, the more it will drop over the course of its flight. To compensate for this drop, a projectile must be fired above the line of sight to the target in an arched path to successfully strike the intended target. In order to assist archers in approximating the arched trajectory of an arrow while taking aim at a target, many archery bows are equipped with sighting systems. The following references disclose typical sighting systems and are incorporated by reference herein: U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,272 to Scantlen, U.S. Pat. No. 6,842,989 to Wuthrich, U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,462 to Henry, U.S. Pat. No. 6,609,306 to Johnson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,226 to Marietta, U.S. Pat. No. 6,401,347 to Slates, U.S. Pat. No. 6,477,779 to Slates, U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,910 to Maynard, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,862 to Newbold et al.
Many sighting systems include a peep sight tied into the bow string of an archery bow and at least one sight pin corresponding to a specific target distance for the shot. To aim, the archer will look through the peep sight at full draw and align the target with the appropriate sight pin. These pin sighting systems require the archer to know or estimate the distance to the target. Thus, even the shot of a skilled archer using a pin sight is only as accurate as the estimated distance to the target.
In an effort to remedy the distance estimation problem, some archery bows are further equipped with a range finder to accurately determine the line of sight distance to a target. In some states, however, it is illegal to have a range finder mounted to an archery bow while bow hunting. As such, the distance to the target cannot be determined while the archer is aiming at the target and the bow string is fully drawn. In any event, even if the distance to the target is known, a problem arises when the sight pin system does not have an appropriate pin for the required distance. In this situation, the archer must shoot between pins and sacrifice at least some level of accuracy.
In view of these and other concerns, it appears that there is a need for a bow sight device for archery bows that provides distance compensation automatically, and irrespective of the actual distance to the target, when aiming.